Health Advices Blog

Archive for the ‘Back Pain’ Category

Manifestations of disc herniation vary widely from one patient to another. Sometimes asymptomatic, it is most often characterized by severe pain. These are often concentrated in the lower back, because 95% of herniated discs are located in the lumbar vertebrae. The classic symptoms are back pain or lumbago. The spine is so very painful.
If the disc compresses the nerve root, it is called sciatica. Note that 85% of sciatica resulting from a herniated disc. Then extend the pain to the buttock, thigh and leg, with a tingling sensation and sometimes paralysis. In more severe cases, it is the spinal cord is affected, causing paralysis of the limbs or the anal sphincter and urinary. It is in this case consult a doctor urgently.

The patient usually consults his doctor when the back pain intensified. They are also the first cause of consultation centers painkiller. During the visit, the doctor asks the patient about the frequency, intensity and location of pain. Clinical examination is then completed by radiography of the spine enough to make the diagnosis. But if the doctor doubts it can provide a scan or an MRI, which help to visualize the hernia.

Hernia is a disease related to displacement of intervertebral dises. Our spine is made up of 24 vertebrae, including 7 cervical, 12 thoracic and 5 lumbar. Between each of them: an intervertebral disc, a sort of cushioned. This disc is composed of two elements: a central core (nucleus) surrounded by a fibrous ring (annulus) that connects the two vertebrae to each other.

If the ring cracks, the core material protrudes outside the spine. This is called a herniated disc. This overflow of the intervertebral disc can then cause compression of a nerve root or spinal cord.
The most common herniated disc for men than women. It usually occurs between 35 and 55 years due to overwork, to lift a heavy load or after a twist of the trunk. Pregnancy and obesity are also risk factors. Genetic predisposition are often the cause of early cases, from the age of 20 years.

Guest article by Rob Stone

It has always been the case since the dawn of mankind that people come with small, medium or large-boned frames. We can only estimate what the average may be from the details of the size and weight of the bones. For example a woman 5 foot 4 inches in height and with medium sized bones may weigh up to 9.5 or 10 stone. A woman of the same height but with a large- boned frame can be a few pounds more.

Obesity has of course always been around. This writer was himself one of those children who at the age of 8 was 8 stone and when 10 was 10 stone and so on. However it is only in recent years that obesity has been described in some quarters as an epidemic. Even small children can now be obese or overweight thanks in part to the approved food additives that can contribute to cravings which mean they eat more.

This is not of course a children only area, far from it. Being overweight has many problems associated with it. One major problem is serious back ache and pain. Logically the more weight our frame and especially the spine have to support the more wear and tear they encounter.

As sufferers will appreciate back pain is one of the worst pains that we can feel and this comes from a variety of sources. Imagine it as a sort of chain reaction. It starts with the bones then to the muscles on to the joints, ligaments, tendons, cartilage, nerves and last but not least the central nervous system. Even a small pain in one or more of these parts of the body can give excruciating pain to the sufferer.

You may not believe it until you sit down and think about it but Back pain can actually lead to obesity. If you have tried to move and were in pain then you would not want to move like that again. Consequently this would cause you to remain more and more static and this would all build up until you were hardly exercising at all. By exercising we mean ordinary day to day movement not Gym work!

You don’t need to be a brain surgeon to work out that inactivity in the muscles resulting in this lack of exercise will lead to obesity. If the pain and discomfort make you lean towards comfort eating then the onset of the obesity will be quickened. You must learn to fight this and you can start by doing a few light exercises per day increasing on a daily basis until you are managing at least half an hour a day. Your healthier muscles will mean a healthier back which in turn should eventually become pain free.

It is certainly not an easy road and your emotions may cause you to lose any desire to exercise whatsoever but do try and stick with it. Write down what you do and when you do it. Stick to a plan and do your utmost to do it regularly. To start with you may only manage a few minutes each day but as long as you have started that is the main hurdle jumped. In perhaps even a short period of time you will start to feel livelier and to enjoy the exercise.

If the weight is also disappearing then this is the biggest lift of all. Don’t rush at it but in the words of one of our supermarkets ‘every little helps’. In due course your spine will react to the loss of weight and you will definitely notice this. There may come a time after a short while when you can increase your output and include some aerobics. The latter definitely do burn off fat.

Rob Stone writes many articles on Health and Fitness to Home Improvement and Children’s Toys such as Nitro RC Cars